World Suicide Prevention Day

• The day is observed annually to highlight several ways by which suicide can be prevented.

• It was first marked on September 10, 2003, as an initiative by the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO).

• IASP and WHO collaborated to create this day to spread an important message that “suicides are preventable”.

• Following the first successful year, WHO formally agreed in 2004 to co-sponsor the event again and made it an annually recognized day.

• In 2011, around 40 countries organised the awareness events to mark this occasion.

• IASP organizes several events or programs across 60 countries to mark this day.